Holding On
by NikkiB1973
Summary: The challenge was to pick a scene out of Eclipse and write a short story about it. Here is mine: Page 382 in Eclipse, the Cullen's and the pack are mock fighting in the forest. Jacob is sitting next to Bella in his wolf form while they watch from a distance. The first line will be from the book as my start point and then it will be my version after that. Set in Eclipse AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Holding On**

**The challenge was to pick a scene out of Eclipse and write a short story about it. Here is mine:**

**Page 382 in Eclipse, the Cullen's and the pack are mock fighting in the forest. Jacob is sitting next to Bella in his wolf form while they watch from a distance. The first line will be from the book as my start point and then it will be my version after that. **

"_Go on ahead without me," I told him. I don't want to watch."_

Jacob's head turned to the side and he looked at Bella through his wolf eyes. Bella felt her heat beat a little faster at the devotion she could clearly see shining from them. He loped over to her and settled himself beside her, resting his head on his paws.

"Thank you Jacob," Bella whispered as her hand involuntarily reached out and began to caress Jake's fur. She heard a deep rumble emanating from his chest and his eyes closed as she reached a sensitive spot behind his ears.

Jacob shifted closer to Bella so that his warm body was pressed against her side. She leaned her shoulder against him and let his supernatural warmth soothe her frazzled nerves. Her hands sunk deeper into his long, shaggy coat as she continued in her ministrations. Jacob made a humming noise, almost like a cat's purr, but deeper.

They both continued to watch the mock battles between the Cullen's and the wolf pack. Edward kept shooting glances up in Bella's direction but she hardly noticed, she was now completely absorbed in Jacob. He had wrapped his wolf body completely around her so that the tip of his tail was brushing his nose. Bella was in the centre, she had never felt so warm and relaxed in her life. She had taken her thick jacket off as she was now getting rather hot.

"Oh Jake, I am so worried about Saturday."She confessed to him. "I wish that this wasn't happening. I don't want you or any of the pack to get hurt."

Jacob lifted his large wolf's head and nuzzled her gently with his nose. Bella sighed and leaned her head against his. Both of them closed their eyes and she listened to the same humming noise that he had made earlier. They stayed like that for a while, finding comfort from each other's presence.

Another twenty minutes passed and Bella opened her eyes again. She manoeuvred her body so that she was sitting on her knees. Jacob's dark eyes gazed at her curiously as she reached up and pulled his head down so that she could whisper in his ear.

"I want to tell you something. Will the others be able to hear if I whisper quietly into your ear like this?"

Jacob nodded his head slightly. He suddenly rose on all four legs and began to move away from her. Bella watched him as he turned his head and jerked it, indicating that he wanted her to follow him. She glanced down into the clearing; Edward was occupied as he was staging a mock battle with Sam's wolf. Scrambling up onto her feet she hastily followed Jacob into the dense tree cover.

XXXXXX

They walked for a good ten minutes. Bella was holding onto Jake's side as he led her through the dense undergrowth carefully. He halted suddenly and Bella gazed at him in confusion. He was staring at her intently as if trying to convey an important message. After a few seconds Bella's cheeks flushed red as it dawned on her that he wanted her to turn around while he phased back into human form. Her eyes fell to the leather strap wound round his back leg. She gave him a sheepish smile and walked away a few steps and turned her back to him.

After a tense thirty seconds she heard Jacob speak her name. "Bells, you can turn round now."

Bella took a deep breath and slowly swivelled around to face him. Her eyes travelled up his body taking in his strong legs, six pack and muscular chest and shoulders. She finally reached his handsome face and turned red again as she saw the smirk crossing his lips. He had caught her checking him out. He didn't call her out on it though; he just stood there waiting for her to speak.

"Jacob, I just wanted to say something to you in private. We don't get a chance to be alone anymore and I just wanted to tell you I miss you. Back there, when we were just sitting together, it reminded me how things used to be between us. Easy as breathing you once said, remember?" Bella said softly.

Jacob nodded and took a step closer to her. He still didn't say anything to her though, just continued to wait for her to speak again.

Bella fiddled with the cuff of her shirt, pulling at a stray thread nervously. "I miss the way it used to be between us Jake. Our friendship was always so effortless, easy and comfortable. I know that I have screwed it all up and I'm sorry."

"Me too, honey." Jacob replied, he held out his arms hesitantly, almost as if he expected Bella to shy away from him.

Bella immediately closed the gap between them and slipped her arms around his waist. She rested her head on his chest and listened to the frantic beat of his heart. Jacob wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on top of hers.

"I've missed you so much Bells. I hate it when I can't see you and now..." Jacob's voice trailed off.

"I know Jake. I have been so caught up with E..." She stopped speaking when she felt a tremor run through Jacob at the mention of Edward's name.

"Can we not talk about him? We haven't got much time. I just want to hold you for a while, okay." Jacob murmured against Bella's ear. He felt her nod and he pulled her tighter in his arms.

They stood silently, holding on to each other, drawing comfort from the other's presence. Bella knew that Edward was approaching when she felt Jacob's body go tense. His arms involuntarily clutched her closer to him and she found herself doing the same.

"Bella, it's time to go. The others are just finishing up now. I was worried about you when I found that you had gone. I thought that you were going to watch. "Edward's voice drifted over in Bella's direction. She could hear the hurt in his tone, but thankfully she could not see his expression as her face was still pressed to Jacob's chest. His heart beat was thundering in her ear, drowning out the rest of Edward's words.

Another few seconds passed, Jacob and Bella were still holding onto each other and Edward began to get very impatient. "Bella my love, please, it is very late. We have to get you back in case your father realises you are missing. Say goodbye to your friend now. You will see him on Saturday before the battle."

Bella squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her face against Jacob's chest for another brief moment before she dropped her arms and tried to take a step back. She felt Jacob take a deep shuddering breath before he released her. They stood slightly apart staring intently at each other, eyes locked.

"Bella, "Edward's voice was hesitant. "We really need to be going."

Tearing her eyes away from Jacob, Bella turned and looked over her shoulder at Edward. She saw him reach out his hand for her to take. She then looked back at Jake, the devastated expression on his face made her heart hurt. She reached out her hand and took Jacob's warm one in her own and she gave it a gentle squeeze. Something indefinable in his expression changed. He could sense that Bella was torn. Normally she would have run straight to the bloodsucker, but here she was, still standing in front of him. Hope flared in his heart. He saw Edward shoot him a vicious glare as he must have read his thoughts. Jacob ignored him. He focused all his attention on Bella.

"Bella, really we have to go now." Edward said again. A note of impatience crept in his voice.

Swallowing nervously Bella gave Jacob a slight nod before she turned round fully to face Edward. She kept a tight hold of Jacob's hand as if drawing from his strength. "I'm not going back with you tonight Edward. Jake and I have been talking and I want to spend some time with my best friend before the battle."

"But Bella..." Edward hesitated as his eyes travelled down to their joined hands. A sad look crossed his pale face as he raised his head and gave Jacob a wry smile. "I don't believe it, after all this time. She let her guard down and you..."

Bella frowned as she once again looked between Jacob and Edward. "Let my guard down and what?" She demanded.

A bitter laugh spilled from Edward's lips, shocking Bella. She stared at him. "What are you laughing at?"

Jacob tugged on her hand gently and pulled her back against him. She felt the warmth from his body soothe her and she immediately relaxed. Edward watched their interactions carefully. There was no doubt what had occurred between Jacob and Bella now. He had always cursed the fact that he could not read her mind, she had always had a shield up between them, but it seemed that she had dropped it tonight around Jacob.

Bella found her eyes wandering back to Jacob's beloved face. She smiled up at him and he returned it, giving her one of his sunny grins. "Can you feel it, honey?"

"We imprinted didn't we?" She felt a warm glow spread through her body at the realisation.

"Yeah..." he replied, all the unhappiness he had been feeling lately because of his separation from Bella completely faded away as he felt the same connection sweep through him.

Edward realised they were now totally oblivious to his presence as they became entirely wrapped up in each other. When he saw Jacob cup Bella's face in his hand and press his lips to hers he slipped silently away...

FIN.

_A/N-Thanks for reading, I wrote this in an hour so excuse any typos or punctuation errors! _


	2. Chapter 2

**Holding On**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

**Part Two**

Bella was warm and cosy encompassed as she was by Jacob's wolf body. Her head rested on his side, she could hear the calming beat of his heart as he took deep breaths in and out. She snuggled closer and sank her hands in his fur, caressing it softly. A rumbling sound emanated from Jacob indicating that he was very much enjoying the feel of her small hands delicately stroking his fur. She was completely surrounded by him as he made sure to ward off the effects of the unexpected snow fall.

The original plan had been to spend the night in a tent, camping out in a remote spot so that Bella would be well hidden from any detection by any stray leeches. Edward was supposed to have stayed by her side during the night to keep watch over her, as things had now changed between them all due to the effects of the imprint, Jacob had flatly refused to allow Edward anywhere near Bella. A fight had ensued between the two rivals as Edward refused to back down on this issue. It was only Bella's intervention that had put a stop to things. She had confronted Edward and told him in no uncertain terms that she no longer felt comfortable in his presence, as the intended mate of the future Alpha she wanted nothing more to do with him or his family after the battle was over.

Edward had been flummoxed by her reaction. After first learning about the imprint he had been devastated, but then his natural aversion to the wolves again kicked in and he had decided that he needed to rescue Bella from her fate. He loved her more than life and knew that he could not continue in his present existence if she was not by his side. He had charmed her once; he knew that given time he could do so once again. When she was changed, the imprint bond with Jacob Black would be null and void. He decided the best approach was to play the dutiful lover and insist that he only had her welfare at heart.

It had been decided that Jacob would take care of Bella during the night; Edward would replace him in the morning once the battle was drawing near and Jacob would be needed by his pack. Even though the thought of leaving his Bella with the dog overnight made Edward feel ill he knew that once Jacob was preoccupied with fighting the newborns he could whisk Bella away to a place of safety and begin the process of winning back her love.

XXXXXX

The morning of the battle came before either Jacob or Bella were ready. She had woken up after the best night's sleep of her life, cocooned by her wolf. His body circled her so that she was safely within the centre. His supernatural heat had kept the cold at bay and she felt toasty warm. Who needed a useless tent when Jacob's wolf was so much better? She knew that he was still asleep as the gentle rhythm of his breathing soothed her frazzled nerves. Bella lifted her hand and stroked along his muzzle until she reached the sensitive spot between his ears. She smiled when one of his eyes opened and he gave a low whimper. He loved it when she scratched that particular spot.

"Jake, I wish you could stay with me. I know that is selfish, but I can't help it." Bella murmured softly as she continued in her ministrations.

Jacob raised his head and nudged her gently with his nose. He looked at her lovingly with his beautiful dark eyes and licked her face comfortingly. Bella sighed and buried her face in his neck, tears of worry soaking his fur.

"I love you, Jake. I am so mad at myself for not seeing it before." She said, regret at her past actions weighed heavy upon her.

Jacob was getting frustrated at not being able to express himself verbally. It was now light and nearing time for him to leave. Cullen would be here soon and he wanted to be able to tell Bella how much he loved her before the leech appeared. Without warning he phased back into his human form, Bella gasped as she realised she was now surrounded by a very naked Jacob Black.

XXXXXX

Jacob laughed at Bella's shocked reaction; he grabbed hold of her in his strong arms and rolled them over so that she was draped across his body."Sorry honey, I just wanted to tell you that I love you." he admitted.

Bella was too immersed in looking up and down his very enticing body to answer straight away. It was the first time she had seen him in all his glory. She tentatively reached out and began to run her hand over his chest, her touches feather light as she traced every dip and curve of his defined muscles. Jacob closed his eyes in ecstasy enjoying the feel of Bella's hands exploring his body. It was the first time she had ever initiated contact of her own accord and he let her continue her explorations at her own pace.

She leaned closer to him and placed a daring kiss on to his chest, she stilled waiting out his reaction. Bella had only ever experienced rejection at the hands of Edward and had been scared thus far to push the boundaries with Jacob. Her innate fear that he too would reject her advances had held her back. It was a breakthrough that she was willing to forgo her fears and try to get past them.

Jacob tangled his hand in her hair and drew her head closer to his."I love you." he said again, his breath sending tingles through her body.

"I love yo..."

"It is time..." Edward's droll tones cut through the awakening passion between Jake and Bella like a knife.

They had both been so caught up in the moment that even Jake had been ignorant of Cullen's approach. He cursed loudly as he gently disentangled himself from Bella and quickly put on his shorts that had been carelessly abandoned when he phased back.

"You're a bit early, aren't you?" Jacob said irritably.

Edward tried to keep his emotions in check as he saw Bella gazing at Jacob adoringly. She had never looked at him like that in all the time they had spent together. She seemed consumed by him. Her eyes would stray to him even if she was in a conversation with another person.

"Bella, I think it is time for Jacob to re join his pack, the fight will begin soon." Edward stated smoothly, trying to keep his jealously under control.

Jacob stood up and pulled Bella along with him. "I decide when it is time, not you." he retorted fiercely.

Edward tried to keep his expression non committal. "Time is of the essence. Your pack mate Seth is approaching. You need to leave."

Jacob ignored Edward. He tugged on Bella's hand and she willingly followed him to the edge of the forest. As soon as they had the illusion of privacy, Jacob engulfed Bella in a bear hug and held on tight. He felt relieved when her arms encircled his waist and she held on just as tightly.

"I know what you're thinking Jake, but stop worrying. I love you." She murmured softly.

Jacob knew that the imprint bond they now shared couldn't be broken, not even by Edward's attempts to dazzle Bella. However it was reassuring to hear it from her own lips. Jacob Black had been in love with her even before he had phased. He pulled Bella into his arms and without thought that Cullen was standing nearby he kissed her hard on the lips. She responded instantly, her arms encircling his neck as she attempted to pull his head down nearer to hers. Jacob loved it when he felt her hands slip into his hair and tug on the ends as she fought to bring her body closer to his. He intensified the kiss and moaned when his tongue found hers; they became so engrossed in their passion that Edward could not stand it any longer.

"It's time..." he seethed, his lips drawn back from his teeth in a snarl.

Jacob reluctantly pulled away from Bella and just gave Edward a disdainful glare. "Don't even bother trying to ingratiate yourself with her, she loves me bloodsucker."

"We'll see..." Edward replied grimly.

Bella frowned as she heard the same old words being exchanged between them. She strode up to Edward and glared at him. "Don't even try Edward, if you can't control yourself then why don't you go help your family and Jake can stay with me."

Jacob yanked Bella back into his arms and held her close. "Ignore him, honey. I will be back soon. I really need to leave now that Seth is here. Stay near him, he will relay information to you if you need it."

Bella nodded her head; she pressed her ear to his chest so that she could hear his heart beating. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too." Jacob leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He shot Edward a dirty look before he phased once again and began the journey to join his brothers in the fight.

XXXXXX

Seth stood next to Bella, trying to comfort her. The remains of Victoria and her accomplice burned brightly in the fire that he had started to make sure they could not regenerate. They had been ambushed by the redhead and her companion unexpectedly. Edward had been trying to inveigle himself back into Bella's good graces but she was getting increasingly frustrated with him, Victoria had arrived just as Edward attempted to kiss Bella. He had been so distracted that the red head had ripped his head from his shoulders easily giving her the advantage.

Seth had managed to creep up behind her companion unnoticed as Victoria was taunting Bella. He was easily dispatched, after a brief struggle with Victoria; Seth had overpowered her as well. She seemed stunned that her carefully laid out plans had come to naught after he managed to kill her accomplice.

"Seth, I really need to see Jake. Please take me to him." Bella begged.

Seth turned his wolf's head and regarded her carefully. He was still feeling ambivalent about her, she had put Jake through hell after all, but it seemed that they had created a bond. Jacob had not hidden his thoughts from the pack mind after he shared the fact that he had imprinted with Bella. Seth eventually gave in and whined as he indicated for Bella to approach; he leaned down so that she could climb on his back. She tugged on his fur making him wince until she finally managed to scramble onto his back.

"Thanks Seth, "she whispered as he took off at a fast sprint, Bella clinging on for dear life.

XXXXXX

They arrived as the battle was ending, the acrid smell of smoke indicated that the pack were burning the remains. Jacob's wolf head shot up as he saw Bella slide off of Seth's back and land clumsily on the ground. He gave her a wolfish grin as he started to head in her direction. He was stopped in his tracks as a loud agonising howl erupted from Leah's throat as a stray newborn managed to grab her around the middle of her body and squeezed.

Jacob whipped around quickly and began to run toward his injured pack mate, he managed to get a hold on the newborns neck and rip it off of his body before he did too much damage. Leah fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Unbeknownst to them both another vampire emerged from the trees. He had seen his companion destroyed and he wanted revenge. Creeping up behind Jacob as he was intent on checking on Leah, the newborn clamped his strong arms around Jacob's midriff and squeezed with all his might. He was a lot bigger than his companion and he grinned in satisfaction as he felt one of Jacob's ribs cack under the pressure.

Jacob's howls of pain reverberated around the clearing and Bella's screams soon joined them as the scene played out before her eyes. She watched in horror as Jake fell to the ground once Sam and Paul managed to rip the newborn away from Jake and finish him off.

Bella stumbled her way over to him and she fell to her knees beside him. His head turned toward her, his beloved eyes shining with pain. "Bells..." he choked out.

Bella caught hold of his hand and held it to her cheek as the other pack members began to check him over. "Hold on, Jake. Please be alright." She begged him.

Jacob tried to focus on her, but his vision was blurring. To Bella's horror she saw his eyes roll back in his head and his body became limp. Pain split her skull as she fell backward; the imprint bond she shared with him was making her feel everything he did, within seconds her body was slumped across his as she too blacked out...

_**A/N-I know that some readers wanted a continuation of this one shot. There will be one more chapter and then Jake and Bella will have their HEA. Thanks for reading! Nikki **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Holding On**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

**Part Three**

Jacob woke to the worst pain he had ever felt in his life. His whole body felt like it was on fire. His eyes watered when he tried to move and a searing flash of pain shot down his left side. "Fuck," he yelled, not able to control his language due to the intensity of his torment.

"Hey man you need to remain still," Sam's steady voice made him turn his head slightly.

"What happened to me?" He tried to focus his blurred vision onto his leader. "Where's Bella?"

Sam hunkered down next to him; he moved the drip out of the way. It was supplying a steady flow of drugs to keep Jacob's pain at the bare minimum. The vamp doctor had said he could not give him a stronger dose otherwise it would kill him.

"You were attacked by a stray newborn, do you remember?"

Jacob nodded his head with some difficulty. Leah had recklessly tried to tackle one on her own and he had intervened to help her, this had resulted in him becoming distracted, allowing another vampire to attack him. He pushed these memories aside; all he wanted to know was where Bella was. "Where is Bells?" He demanded again, his voice hoarse.

Sam frowned, not wanting to tell Jacob anything that would prevent his recovery but he knew that he couldn't keep it a secret. "After you got attacked, Bella became hysterical and ran over to you. She blacked out man; just fell into an unconscious state."

Jacob's body jerked as he tried to rise. He swore under his breath as the pain again rendered him immobile. Sam placed a hand on his arm to keep him still. "You have to stay still, "Sam warned him again. "If you continue to move around like this you will aggravate your injuries and you will be no use to anyone."

"Just tell me where the fuck Bella is?" Jacob cursed, getting increasingly angered by Sam's cryptic answers.

Sam could not hide the truth any longer. "She is in Fork's hospital still unconscious. Carlisle is keeping her there under observation. When she first blacked out her..."he paused momentarily before continuing. "Her heart stopped Jake, it was frightening. Carlisle managed to apply first aid and get it beating again and then he whisked her straight to the hospital before coming back to tend to you."

Jacob felt his whole world collapsing around him; Bells' heart had actually stopped. Technically she had died until Carlisle had managed to revive her. He wanted to rise from this bed and go straight to the hospital but he couldn't move. His fists clenched in frustration and he felt the wolf clawing to the surface. Sam saw his body trembling and he panicked.

"Jake you have to calm down, you cannot afford to phase while your bones are healing. I know that you are frantic about Bella, but she needs you to get better quickly and then you can be with her in the hospital." Sam said quickly, hoping he was getting through to Jacob.

Jacob knew that Sam was right, Bells needed him to remain strong, they had been through so much together. "How long until I am well enough to leave this bed?" he asked.

"Twenty four hours..." Sam replied.

"As soon as the time is up then I want you to take me straight to the hospital..." Jacob pleaded.

"Done," Sam agreed.

XXXXXX

Carlisle stood at the end of Bella's bed, checking over her chart for the hundredth time. He had decades of experience, he had tackled the most difficult of medical emergency's but he was completely flummoxed by Bella's condition. For the second time since she had sunk into unconsciousness her heart had stopped. It was only his relentless attempts to shock her heart into beating again that had paid off. The other surgeons who had been in the room had been shocked by Carlisle's ferocity when they had calmly tried to tell him there was no point in continuing. The normally unruffled Dr Cullen had ordered them all to leave as he continued in his efforts. Thankfully after his ninth attempt the heart monitor began beeping again.

Alice sat in the chair beside Bella's bed and gazed at her in concern. She was trying to summon up some sort of vision of her future but nothing came up but blackness. "She is going to die, isn't she?" her voice was laced with sadness as she spoke. "Do you think Edward is waiting for her in the afterlife?"

Carlisle put down the clipboard and joined Alice by Bella's bedside. "I have to admit it does not look good. As for her being with Edward, she never belonged to him Alice, you know that now."

"I know, Edward was all wrong for her. I just hoped that in time he would see that his controlling behaviour would push her away...I think near the end..." her voice tailed off as she saw Carlisle wince at her words.

"I loved Edward; he was my son in every real sense of the word. That does not mean that I was blind to his faults. He should never have interfered in her life; the situation she is in now is because he refused to let her go. He died because he was too selfish to listen to what she wanted."

"I was an active participant though. I refused to believe that she really wanted to leave him too. I encouraged Edward to go after what he desired. I just wanted to see him happy." Alice admitted shamefully.

"As did I," Carlisle laid a comforting hand on Alice's shoulder.

Their conversation was interrupted as a white faced Charlie strode into the room followed by Billy Black. He had hardly left his daughter's bedside all-night until Billy had managed to persuade him to get some rest at home.

"How is she? Any change?" Charlie asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry but no. The good news is she is still stable." Carlisle felt huge sympathy for Bella's father. He respected Charlie Swan and it hurt him to see the man so distraught. His eyes met Billy Blacks and he gave a subtle shake of his shoulders, casing Billy to sigh. He knew that Carlisle held out little hope.

It was at this point that Bella's heart stopped for the third time...

XXXXXX

Jacob's eyes rolled in the back of his head and his body jerked. Embry and Quil who had just been checking up on him began to panic.

"What do we do?" Quil yelled out in frustration as he watched his best friend convulse right in front of him. "What's happening?"

"I don't know...Jake, bro can you hear me?" Embry leaned over and tried to hold Jacob down. "Get Sam right now."

Quil bolted out of the room and was back just as quick with Sam right behind him.

"What happened?" Sam demanded.

"We don't know, one minute we were talking with him and then his eyes rolled up and this happened."Quil blurted out. He ran both of his hands through his shorn locks, tugging at the ends.

Embry, who was still trying to keep Jacob's body still, glanced at Sam desperately. "Help him, "he begged.

Sam pushed past Embry and knelt back by the bed. Jacob's body had stopped moving and he lay still. Sam laid his head on his chest to try and hear a heartbeat. Nothing! He frantically began to feel for Jacob's pulse and he felt nauseous as he realized that it was too late. Jacob was dead...

XXXXXX

Bella stood in the meadow facing Edward. He was pleading with her to give him another chance. She shook her head no; already her eyes were focusing over his shoulder. A russet coloured wolf was standing just within the line of trees.

"I have to go now..."

"Bella reconsider...we were meant to be..." Edward placed a restraining hand on her arm. His cold touch made her shiver.

"I never loved you Edward, you know that. Jake is waiting for me. I have to go." She easily shook off Edward's hand and strode purposefully toward her wolf.

The russet wolf did not move, just waited patiently for her to join him. She heard Edward's indignant protests behind her, reminding her that he held the keys to her heart. Bella ignored him and his voice eventually faded away. She gave one cursory glance behind her and found that he had gone. A smile lit up her face and she began to run toward the waiting wolf, eager to sink her hands into his thick fur and let his comforting warmth surround her. Something was wrong though, even though she swore that she was running she seemed to be unable to move. She tried to force her body to move forward but she remained in the same place. The wolf suddenly howled as a cold iron hard hand gripped her arm once again.

"I told you that you belonged to me..." Edward's cold breath sent shivers down her spine. Bella screamed...

XXXXXX

The heart monitor remained flat as Carlisle continued to try and resuscitate her. It had taken three security guards to haul Charlie out of the room. Billy remained, watching Carlisle's efforts as he refused to give in.

"Come on...you can make it Bella, come on..." Carlisle said the same words over and over like a mantra. Alice stood off to one side, dry sobs echoing in the small room.

Billy felt wetness sting his cheeks as he eyes remained fixated on the flat line of the heart monitor.

XXXXXX

Jacob was on First beach, he had just pulled Bella out of the stormy seas after she had recklessly jumped off the edge of the cliff. Her wet hair clung to her head as he began first aid, trying to pump the sea water out of her lungs.

"Breathe Bella, Breathe honey, don't leave me..." he begged as he continued in his efforts.

There was no response as Bella's eyes remained closed. Her chest was still as her heart stopped. Jacob refused to give up; they hadn't come so far together for him to lose her like this. He continued to pound on her chest repeatedly.

"Breathe Bella, damn it if you ever loved me, breathe..."

Sudden movement from Bella's body made him pause as her brown eyes opened wide and she began to cough up the seawater.

XXXXXX

Carlisle, Billy and Alice stood staring at Bella's still body. He had turned off the heart monitor and pronounced her dead. His valiant efforts had come to nothing. It was over. A nurse had been dispatched to bring Charlie back to the room.

"I can't believe it...I just can't, after everything...I..." Alice stopped speaking, too overcome to say more.

Billy's whole body was trembling, he knew what this meant. A wolf never survived the death of an imprint. Bella was dead and so was his son...

XXXXXX

Bella peeled off Edward's cold fingers one by one. He appeared shocked that she would have the strength to do something like that. A laugh escaped her lips. "You always thought I was weak, well you were wrong..." she taunted him.

Edward was frozen to the spot as he watched his beloved take off at a fast pace toward the russet coloured wolf. The wolf met her in the middle and as soon as they were reunited, her arms slipped around the wolf's neck and she buried her head in his fur. The wolf's dark eyes met Edward's and it bared its teeth.

"She is mine, she always was..." The voice of Jacob Black echoed in Edwards mind. The fight was over and he had lost.

XXXXXX

In La Push Jacob opened his eyes to see the stunned faces of Sam, Embry and Quil peering at him. He had a sudden urge to laugh, their expressions looked so comical. "I'm fine," he eventually said. "I am better now; take me to the hospital to see Bells..."

Three heads nodded in unison as they tried to take in the fact that their pack brother had just returned from the dead...

XXXXXX

In Fork's hospital Bella's eyes fluttered open. She felt like shit, her throat was sore and her whole body ached. She turned her head to the side and met the amused eyes of Jacob gazing down at her. "Took you long enough..." he said teasingly.

Bella tried to roll her eyes in exasperation but they felt too sore. "Doesn't it always..."she finally said, her lips forming into a smile.

_**A/N-I was trying out a different style of writing. I really hope this chapter made sense. Thanks for reading! Just the epilogue to go now where Jake and Bells get their HEA! :)**_


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